End of an era: Kodak retiring Kodachrome film

The Associated PressKodak announced Monday that it is retiring its most senior film -- Kodachrome -- because of declining customer demand in an increasingly digital age.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Eastman Kodak Co. is retiring its most senior film, the iconic Kodachrome, because of declining demand in this digital age.

Kodachrome was introduced in 1935 and became the world's first commercially successful color film. It had its heyday in the 1950s and '60s and Paul Simon immortalized it in song when he crooned "Mama don't take my Kodachrome away" in 1973.

But sales of the unique film are now just a fraction of 1 percent of Kodak's still-picture film sales, and only Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, Kan., still processes it.

Kodak says the decision to discontinue Kodachrome was difficult but necessary. The company says it plans to stay in the film business as long as it can and has introduced several new films in the last few years.